It was inevitable.
Whether in January or in the summer, it felt inevitable that Philippe Coutinho would eventually complete his move to Barcelona for an astronomical fee.
Reports on Saturday afternoon announced that a fee of €160m had been agreed with an official announcement coming tonight, or tomorrow.
Barcelona have their long-term heir to Andrés Iniesta’s throne, and Liverpool are losing their most talented player midway through the season. The fans’ reaction was mixed to say the least.
Some wished him well and appreciated everything the Brazilian gave to Liverpool during his five years at the club since he arrived in January 2013.
I'll miss the wee magician running havoc in premier league! Great player! Didn't huff in the summer when he didn't move! Won't b hating on him and I think it's a good deal for liverpool! Now just spend it right 🙏🙏🙏🙏 #Coutinho #LiverpoolFC #fuckbarcelona pic.twitter.com/qd5kmKXfc7
— Matthew ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (@watson8484) January 6, 2018
— Vinoth Kumar (@VinothK39028121) January 6, 2018
Bye Bye Coutinho….I loved you.#LFC
— Sam (@SamCurtex) January 6, 2018
Well best of luck to him. You will be missed
— Ryan Jones (@mousey024) January 6, 2018
Some are less understanding of Coutinho’s desire to complete his dream move.
https://twitter.com/CoreyMadden1/status/949686821474234374
And some are just plain heartbroken.
Thanks Paul I’m going to be crying in the club tonight
— – (@Coppin_LFC) January 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/ConnorEcky00/status/949683983733936129
And of course, the angry mob were out, determined to paint Coutinho as a snake.
If Coutinho wants to play for Barcelona, I have absolutely no problem with that. Go for it mate. The problem I have is the way he’s dealt with the whole situation. He’s completely fucked it up with he supporters and been very disrespectful towards the club. Enjoy Barca you snake.
— – (@AnfieldRd96) January 3, 2018
Adios Coutinho👋🏻, you snake. You’ve lost most of the fans respect for forcing the move in half way through the season.
— Samuel (@SamueILFC) January 6, 2018
Game of opinions and all that.
Liverpool have had to acknowledge their status in the global football hierarchy before, selling their best players to bigger clubs – only three and a half years ago Barcelona signed Luis Suárez from Liverpool. Barça’s arch rivals Real Madrid also signed Xabi Alonso back in 2009.
When Suarez departed, the money was mostly wasted on sub-standard players such as Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini, but this time it could be different. With such a hefty fee coming in for Coutinho, and Liverpool’s squad being much stronger than it was back in 2014, they will look to invest most of the money in a replacement for the midfield magician.
Riyad Mahrez is one of the names being linked with a move to Anfield. The Leicester midfielder is not cup tied in the Champions League, unlike Monaco’s Thomas Lemar, which could encourage Liverpool to pursue the Algerian.
